"Roll stock" is a common term used to describe cylindrical rolls of thin materials, such as plastic films, roofing sheets, light gauge metal, and paper products. These cylindrical rolls are typically shipped and stored on pallets in tiers of the rolls, all horizontally oriented. To stabilize and support these rolls in their tiers, stacking supports are typically employed. Several U.S. patents show stacking supports for receiving stacked rolls of materials.
One such disclosure is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,732 to Bell, which teaches a support and spacing member for roll stock formed from expanded polystyrene foam. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,196 to Butler shows a roll support member that like Bell '732 is formed of expanded polystyrene foam. However, there are problems associated with polystyrene foam when it is used for roll stock supports. Expanded polystyrene is brittle and has a minimum of structural flexibility. Additionally, polystyrene foam cannot nest together for the compact storage of unused supports.
In an apparent attempt to improve upon the inadequacies of polystyrene foam, U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,314 to Moyer teaches a roll support formed of recyclable papier-mache. In many circumstances, papier-mache is inadequate for roll stock supports. Papier-mache disintegrates when it is moist. Therefore, papier-mache cannot be used in humid environments and always must be protected from weather. This protection is especially difficult during transport unless the roll stock with its papier-mache supports are shipped within a container or trailer. A stronger, yet still recyclable material is needed that can form roll supports.
Granted, the Moyer '314 papier-mache roll support has better nesting capabilities than the polystyrene foam roll supports. However, Moyer '314 still fails to adequately nest together for saving space when stacking the supports in storage. Importantly, papier-mache must be fabricated with substantial thickness to support heavy roll stock. Therefore, papier-mache supports cannot stackably nest for compact storage of the unused roll supports. A roll support is needed for heavy roll stock that can nest together in storage, with a minimum increase in the nested stack height when roll supports are added to the stack.